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The Global House Church Movement: A Missions Fest Vancouver 2008 Seminar

The Global House Church Movement: A Missions Fest Vancouver 2008 Seminar. with Dr. Randy Wollf Serving with The Journey house church network and as a church planting missionary with the Evangelical Free Church. Seminar Outline. House church case studies

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The Global House Church Movement: A Missions Fest Vancouver 2008 Seminar

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  1. The Global House Church Movement:A Missions Fest Vancouver 2008 Seminar with Dr. Randy Wollf Serving with The Journey house church network and as a church planting missionary with the Evangelical Free Church

  2. Seminar Outline • House church case studies • Characteristics of church planting movements • Getting started

  3. Seminar Outline • House church case studies

  4. Worldwide • It is estimated that worldwide there are approximately: • 450 million Christians within conventional churches • 10 million in cell-based churches • 450 million in simple, organic structures such as house churches, or meeting outdoors Source – Dale (2005)

  5. Case study - China • China went from having approximately five million believers (1949) to 80-130 million today • Tens of millions of believers are part of house churches • Even if freedom came, the Chinese house leaders have said that they would continue to use the house church approach • House church leaders hope to send out 100,000 missionaries into unreached Muslim, Hindhu, and Buddhist regions (initiative called Back to Jerusalem) Sources – Brother Yun et al (2003), Zdero (2004)

  6. Case study - India • Victor Choudrie, a leading spokesperson for the house church movement in India, estimates that 100,000 house churches started in India from 2001-2006. “These little house churches in India are like the starfish, the more you divide them the more they replicate.” (Choudhrie, 2007, p. 308) • An Indian housewife started 50 churches in just 12 months (Dale, 2005) • A Ph.D. graduate and his 13 year-old son started a church with a street vendor (Dale, 2005)

  7. Case study - Nepal • Children as young as 9 or 10 are starting churches (Dale, 2005).

  8. Case study - Philippines • Eman Abrea and partners saw the planting of almost 50 house churches in just one year (Abrea, 2007). • Romulos Nacua and a few others began 13 house churches in 2000. There are now 400 house churches in the Visayas House Church Network (Nacua, 2007).

  9. Case study - Myanmar • Ram Lian started the Household Church Mission (HCM) in 2005. • In 2007, 10 students were planting 18 house churches. • HCM’s vision is to see 1,000 house churches planted by the year 2030. • The HCM mission is to train leaders to start a church from their homes and multiply as God leads them to serve the world for Christ. Source – Lian (2007)

  10. Case study - Ethiopia • In 1982, the Ethiopian government outlawed the Meserete Kristos Church. It was comprised of 14 congregations with 5,000 members. • The church went underground and started meeting in small groups. • In 1992, when the Meserete Kristos Church could surface again, its numbers had grown to 50,000. Source – Case Study (Ethiopia) in Nexus (2007). Note: You can hear more about the story of the Meserete Church in the film “Against Great Odds” distributed by www.visionvideo.com.

  11. Case study - Russia • Harold Zimmerman and Home Fellowship Leaders International (www.homefellowshipleaders.com) supply literature to a growing number of Russian house churches (800 currently) Source – Zimmerman (2007)

  12. Case study - Britain • A house church movement emerged in Britain in the 1960’s and 70’s. • Many of these house churches became “New Churches” as they moved into larger facilities. • Noble (2007) believes that the house church movement in Britain, although it has waned in recent years, did much to restore vitality to the church in Britain.

  13. Case study – United States • It is estimated that there are 5 million people in the U.S. who are involved in house churches (Dale and Dale, 2007). • Neil Cole started his first organic church in a coffee shop. This was the start of Church Multiplication Associates (CMA – www.cmaresources) • In 2000, CMA started 10 new churches. • Second year, 52 church starts. • In 2002, CMA saw 106 churches started. • In 2007, they had seen well over 1,000 churches started in 36 states and 31 nations. Sources – Cole (2007) and Cole (2005)

  14. Churchgoers Putting Feet to Their Longings in the U.S. Source - Barna (2005)

  15. Churchgoers Putting Feet to Their Longings in the U.S. Source - Barna (2005)

  16. Case study – Canada • The Canadian House Church Network serves as a resource for house churches (www.outreach.ca/OC2-Planting/7-HouseChurches/HC-home.htm). • Ross Rains started Pathfinders Fellowships, which now has 11 house churches across Canada (www.pathfindersfellowships.com). • The Journey (www.journeypath.com) seeks to help individuals, groups, and churches start simple churches.

  17. Case study – Cuba • In the 1990’s fuel shortages and government restrictions on the registration of churches led many Cubans into house churches. • Today, it is estimated that there are approximately 10,000 house churches in Cuba. Source – Belz (2007)

  18. Case study – Ecuador • Guy Muse and other missionaries of the International Mission Board have helped national plant over 250 house churches in Ecuador since 2000 (though only half continue to function). Source – Muse (2007)

  19. Case study – Basic Ecclesial Communities • House churches are not limited to Protestant Christianity. In 1985, it was estimated that there were over 100,000 Basic Ecclesial Communities associated with the Catholic Church. Source – Allen (2007) and Driver (2007)

  20. Case study – Muslim world • In an Asian Muslim country, more than 150,000 Muslims embrace Jesus and gather in more than 3,000 locally led Isa Jamaats or Jesus Groups (Garrison, 2004).

  21. Seminar Outline • House church case studies • Characteristics of church planting movements

  22. Characteristics of Church Planting Movements Show “Like a mighty wave: Church planting movements” video at http://www.blip.tv/file/149518 or search for it at www.imb.org in their videos section.

  23. Characteristics of Church Planting Movements • Extraordinary prayer • Abundant gospel sowing • Intentional church planting • Scriptural authority • Local leadership • Lay leadership • Cell or house churches • Churches planting churches • Rapid reproduction • Healthy churches How do these characteristics and associated practices contribute to church planting movements?

  24. Seminar Outline • House church case studies • Characteristics of church planting movements • Getting started

  25. Getting Started Where are you at right now? • A rhetorical embrace • A simmering vision • Faith seeking understanding • Passionate pursuit • Riding the wave

  26. Getting Started • Make room • Strengthen your prayer life • Begin at the end • Think strategically • Identify non-Christians in your life • Look for and reach out to people of peace (Luke 10)

  27. Getting Started • Engage in spiritually meaningful discussions with people of peace • Disciple the seekers • Baptize those who repent and receive Jesus as Lord • Equip them to grow, to serve fellow believers, and to reach the lost • Send them out to repeat the whole process

  28. Conclusion Many Chinese Christians believe that: “It is good for a Christian to lead someone to Christ. It is better to plant a church. It is best to start a church-planting movement.”

  29. Possible Next Steps • Prayerfully work through the relevant parts of the “Getting Started” worksheet • Attend a “Getting Started” training event (9:00-3:00 on April 5 in Langley) Note: You can sign up on the signup list on the resource table (max. 15 people) or contact me.

  30. References • Abrea, E. (2007). Case study (Philippines): From traditional pastor to house church planter. In R. Zdero (Ed.), Nexus: The world house church movement reader (pp. 310-314). Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library. • Allen, D. (2007). Case study (Brazil): A house church movement becomes visible. In R. Zdero (Ed.), Nexus: The world house church movement reader (pp. 365-369). Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library. • Barna, G. (2005). Revolution: Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. • Belz, . (2007). Case study (Cuba): How Fidel Castro launched 10,000 house churches. In R. Zdero (Ed.), Nexus: The world house church movement reader (pp. 362-364). Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library. • Choudhrie, V . (2007). Case study (India): How 100,000 house churches were started in five years. In R. Zdero (Ed.), Nexus: The world house church movement reader (pp. 304-309). Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library.

  31. References • Cole, N. (2007). Case study (USA): The story of Church Multiplication Associates – From California to Chiang Mai in seven years. In R. Zdero (Ed.), Nexus: The world house church movement reader (pp. 346-351). Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library. • Cole, N. (2005). Organic church: Growing faith where life happens. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. • Dale, F. (2005). Getting started: A practical guide to planting simple churches. Manchaca, TX: Karis Publishing (available through www.house2house.com). • Dale, F. & Dale, T. (2007). Case study (USA): A city of house church networks. In R. Zdero (Ed.), Nexus: The world house church movement reader (pp. 352-356). Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library. • Driver, J. (2007). Case study (Latin America): House churches in a Roman Catholic context. In R. Zdero (Ed.), Nexus: The world house church movement reader (pp. 376-381). Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library.

  32. References • Garrison, D. (2004). Church planting movements: How God is redeeming a lost world. Midlothian, VA: WIGTake Resources. Note: For a free booklet that has the main parts of what the book has, go to http://www.imb.org/CPM/default.htm. • Lian, R. K. (2007). Case study (Myanmar): Planting house churches in a Buddhist country. In R. Zdero (Ed.), Nexus: The world house church movement reader (pp. 323-328). Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library. • Muse, G. (2007). Case study (Ecuador): The story and strategy of “The church in your house.” In R. Zdero (Ed.), Nexus: The world house church movement reader (pp. 370-375). Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library. • Nacua, R. (2007). Case study (Philippines): The wanderer: Unplanned house church planting. In R. Zdero (Ed.), Nexus: The world house church movement reader (pp. 315-319). Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library.

  33. References • Noble, J. (2007). Case study (Britain): A retrospective on the British house church movement of the 1970’s. In R. Zdero (Ed.), Nexus: The world house church movement reader (pp. 341-345). Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library. • Vision Video & Eastern Mennonite Missions. (2007). Case study (Ethiopia): How an underground church survived persecution. In R. Zdero (Ed.), Nexus: The world house church movement reader (pp. 304-309). Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library. • Yun, B., Yongze, P. X., Wang, E., & Hattaway, P. Back to Jerusalem: Three Chinese house church leaders share their vision to complete the great commission. Atlanta, GA: Authentic. Website - www.backtojerusalem.com • Zdero, R. (2004). The global house church movement. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library. • Zimmerman, H. (2007). Case study (Russia): The house church movement of Mother Russia. In R. Zdero (Ed.), Nexus: The world house church movement reader (pp. 338-340). Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library.

  34. Other Resources • Books • Banks, R. & Banks, J. (1998). The church comes home. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers. • Choudhrie, V. (2006). Greet the ekklesia! The church in your house. Victor Choudhrie. • Dale, F. & Dale, T. (2002). Simply church. Manchaca, TX: Karis Publishing (available through www.house2house.com). • Fitts, R. (2001). The church in the house: A return to simplicity. Salem, OR: Preparing the Way Publishers. • Hattaway, P. The heavenly man: The remarkable true story of Chinese Christian Brother Yun. Grand Rapids, MI: Monarch Books. • Simson, W. (1999). Houses that change the world: The return of the house churches. Emmelsbull, Germany: C&P Publishing. • Webber, R. E. (2002). The younger evangelicals: Facing the challenges of the new world. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books. • Zdero, R. (Ed.) (2007). Nexus: The world house church movement reader. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library.

  35. Other Resources • Video • Like a mighty wave: Church planting movements (available from www.imb.org – click on videos and then search for video title) • Tidal wave: An exploration of simple church (available from www.house2house.com) • When you come together: Simple church gatherings – what do we do? (available from www.house2house.com) • Websites • www.house2house.com • www.journeypath.com • www.dcfi.org • www.cmaresources.org • www.housechurch.ca • www.pathfindersfellowships.com

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